


Treasured Words [2020 Twitter Adjective Prompts Collection]

by hibiren



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Aftercare, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Blind Ignis Scientia, Coffee, Comfort No Hurt, Cooking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotions, Established Relationship, Ficlet, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Gentleness, Gladnis, IgNyx - Freeform, Implied Relationships, Insomnia, Introspection, Late Night Conversations, Lestallum (Final Fantasy XV), M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Post Rough Sex, Recovery, Sex Mentions, Sharing a Room, Short & Sweet, Showers, Sweet, Tenderness, Worry, post-sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:34:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: "So many things to say, so many different ways to say them."A collection of requests made to me via twitter containing a ship & number of the user's choice, to generate a random list of adjectives that I pulled from to create these minifics. Enjoy!1. IgNyx2. Gladnis3. PromnisTo be posted in addition: one gladnoct and one more gladnis fic, at the current moment. This caption and the tags will be updated accordingly!
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Ignis Scientia/Nyx Ulric, Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31





	1. IgNyx - "Fascinated" / "Tender" (for notthelasttime)

**Author's Note:**

> A while back I had the idea to ask my friends & followers on twitter for fanfic requests. I wanted to use a prompt list but none I could find really captured my attention (or were asked not to be reshared, which I respected). Because of that, I decided to make up a new, fun way to take requests! The person requesting would give me a ship and a number of their choice. I then used a random adjective generator with the input of that number to give me a list that I picked prompt words from to write with their ship choice! I really love the words that resulted, I hope that everyone likes my idea as well as I post the finished works! I really love the involvement (both from those requesting and myself) from this setup and it was a really awesome idea! I highly recommend giving it a go, it's a great challenge!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis is up way too late cooking one night when Nyx drops by to visit. Nyx knows that even despite his practical excuse of not wasting time, there's more on Ignis's mind than he wants to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For notthelasttime's request of IgNyx! This is my first go at publishing anything IgNyx so I really hope I did the pairing justice! The two words I picked from their number generated list were "fascinated" and "tender" because they just jumped out at me in combination with each other, I couldn't resist!

“You’re here rather late, what’s the occasion?” Ignis asked, looking up from his cutting board and pausing his determined, practiced dicing. Nyx had let himself in. He had permission to, of course, because he knew where Ignis kept his spare key and they had been together long enough that Ignis could trust him with it. Nyx knew Ignis would have moved it if he didn’t want his unannounced visits to continue.

Ignis remained where he stood, trying not to think about the weight of the knife in his hands or the years of grooves cut and worn into the grain of the stained wood. Or the fact that he was in his nightclothes, which weren’t exactly suitable for having company over. “Let me guess, you knew I was cooking and just _had_ to come by and make sure I wasn’t losing my touch.”

Nyx chuckled and sat down at the barstool across from where Ignis was working, peering over the counter to the vegetables on the wooden board. “How’d you know? Nah, just kidding, Igs. I came by to check on you. Was walking home and I saw your light was on; it’s too late for you to be awake. Don’t you have an early shift tomorrow? Why’re you _cooking?”_

The only response Ignis could muster was a shrug and a sigh. He returned his attention to slicing a whole peeled potato. Maybe it was in the way he took too long on each downward cut, but something clued Nyx in. Far be it from him to keep silent when he noticed Ignis was suffering.

“You want some help?” he asked, and Ignis stubbornly shook his head. “...Alright. Okay.”

“It’s… been a long week,” Ignis finally admitted, setting the knife down. Refusing to meet Nyx’s inquisitive eyes, those eyes that knew exactly how to get what they wanted out of him. “I haven’t been sleeping well. I figured I might as well make use of my time and start my cooking for the week now, to save myself later. So I’m not wasting away rolling about in bed unable to sleep, or staring at the ceiling.”

“You ever tried counting sheep?”

The glare that Nyx earned stung more than it was meant to. Ignis’s annoyed gaze was as sharp as the knife left (thankfully) unattended on the board.

“You’re serious,” Ignis muttered, and pressed the back of his wrist to the edge of his glasses, to push them back up his nose.

“Well, uh. Kinda. Counting sheep, listening to music or the TV, stuff like that. You ever tried to stay awake through those awful infomercials? I’m out in five minutes.”

“Yes, well, you and I are quite different, in that case. I…” Ignis paused. He picked up the knife and began cutting vegetables again. It gave his defeated gaze somewhere to focus other than Nyx’s face. “That won’t work. I’ve tried just about everything, including chamomile tea.”

“Sounds like you could use some help, then. How ‘bout we try something?”

“Hm.” It was apparent that Ignis’s increased speed with the knife meant he was trying not to act interested. It was the small things that Nyx loved about him, in those little barely detectable ways his behavior changed when he was flustered.

“Forget the cooking, let’s get you to bed.”

“If you’re going to say that having sex with me will cure me of my insomnia, I - ”

Nyx waved his hands with a frantic dismissiveness, bit his lip when he realized he might be giving off the wrong message, and then shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the barstool. “No, not sex. Just, c’mon. Bedroom, Igs? Let’s go?”

That was all the convincing Ignis needed, to put the knife and the cutting board in the sink after dropping the sliced vegetables into a storage container. After setting that away in the fridge, Ignis let Nyx wrap a hand around his waist and lead the way to the bedroom.

“This isn’t going to help,” grumbled Ignis, when Nyx kicked his shoes off and settled into the bed next to him.

“Shh. Just trust me. Just try to relax a little, okay?” Nyx said, pulling Ignis against his chest, wrapping his arms around Ignis’s waist beneath the blankets. “You can relax every once in a while, y’know? I’ve got you.”

“But… but…”

“Shh. No more talking. Just close your eyes. You look exhausted. Just focus on sleeping, lose yourself in that for a bit. You’ll be asleep before you know it. Promise.”

Maybe it was the warmth of Nyx’s arms around him, the other man’s weight against his back, or the solid steady comfort of his heartbeat, but Ignis finally found himself slowly untensing. Nyx gave him a gentle squeeze and soft murmurs of encouragement, barely audible whispers that would have made sense if he were more awake. Ignis succumbed to his dreams as Nyx breathed those words against his ear, stroked his fingertips through Ignis’s hair. It was almost magical, how quickly Ignis’s stubborn facade crumbled.

_“Shh. I’m here, Ignis. I’m right here. You can relax. Breathe. Sleep. I’ll keep you safe…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :D


	2. Gladnis - "Numberless" / "Normal" (for HardNoctLife)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis tries to find peace in a mug of coffee, while Gladiolus is away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For HardNoctLife! Thank you for your prompt - when these two words showed up in the list they really spoke to me. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I keep seeing and hearing that phrase "the new normal" and there's just something about that, I don't really know how to explain it. It kept going through my head while I was writing this tbh. It makes me feel like it's a "slogan" for a kind of forced acceptance of sudden change regardless of anyone's pain, perhaps? I'm sure Ignis understands that better than anyone.

The days were unrelenting and Ignis could hardly catch a break. He fumbled along as time kept ticking on without him, hoping he could keep pace. Nothing meant what it used to anymore. He was sure the bottoms of his shoes needed repairing, and especially at the toes; his feet were now his anchor to the world, guiding his way. Without sight, he had to rely on every other sense. And he was managing - or at least that was what he would say, if anyone asked him. Gladiolus knew he was lying, but tended not to make further comments about it.

Finally, the break Ignis had been seeking came after he poured himself a cup of coffee. Gladiolus had made it just before heading out of their room at the Leville Hotel in Lestallum, their shared living space, not saying why he was leaving or when he’d be back. Must have had a rough night…

The Leville was where most of them lived, now, just to feel some sense of stability in a world that had none left. At first he had been upset, that Gladiolus had mentioned wanting to stay with him - taking it as his subtle way of saying _you shouldn’t be left alone,_ but Ignis cursed himself more in the fact that he knew, deep down, that Gladiolus was right. It was hard to fight his feelings but they had other, more important things that deserved their attention more. Like not dying. Like rebuilding. Like adjusting to this broken-down “normality” to the best of their ability. Something just told Ignis that their relationship went without saying, no words were needed between them for the other to know exactly how they felt.

Ignis sought out a chair and sat down, even though his back protested the motion. The chair wasn’t very comfortable, but he had his cup of coffee in hand and tried to push the pain aside, focusing instead on the warmth of the mug in his hands. He inhaled as he held the cup to his lips, catching the coffee’s earthy scent, the hint of spice. Drinking coffee - at least, before it became an impossibly attainable luxury - was something Ignis always enjoyed. But now, it was another experience entirely. Everything was about smells now, sounds, tastes, the feel of something beneath his fingertips. He wore his gloves less frequently now, just to catalogue every sensation as if afraid he might lose that, too.

Right now, he was centered in this space. Trying to relax. To focus on everything except his racing thoughts. The ceramic mug was light in his palms; the coffee inside sometimes moved within as he adjusted on the chair. The scent of that spiced, unfamiliar grind of coffee met his nose again - not Ebony, of course, but good enough. He wondered where Gladiolus had found it, because he knew it must have been incredibly difficult to find. Something about the coffee was different, foreign. The flavor was, surprisingly, not cheap, as he’d been expecting. It was still hot, and the weight of the coffee on his tongue was welcome; as was the blooming warmth in his chest as he swallowed. He could feel it tracing a path through him, spreading a pleasant heat through his aching body. All things that he hadn’t appreciated years ago.

He remained silently thankful that he had the time for such indulgence.

Some distance away, the sound of a key turning in the door made Ignis snap out of his focus. There was some grumbling, the deep but recognizable rumble of Gladiolus’s voice, as the door closed again. There was the sound of rustling, like plastic. Ignis felt along the side of the chair for the table and set his mug down on top of it, turning his head as Gladiolus stepped closer.

“I’m back, and… I brought breakfast,” Gladiolus said through the sound of more crinkling plastic. “I’ll put it on the table for you, here. I got you eggs, hashbrowns, and a couple pancakes.”

Ignis turned toward the table and felt around for the plastic container. It was a decently-sized box, and the delicious scent that came from it made his stomach growl. He hadn’t realized he was that hungry. How long had Gladiolus been gone, how long had they been awake?

“Thank you, Gladiolus. Join me?” Ignis offered, setting the box in his lap and smiling as Gladiolus placed a fork in his hand, curled his fingers around it. The Shield’s calloused fingertips squeezed around his own, and somehow he could tell that Gladiolus was looking at him, smiling back.

“Yeah, I’ve got time before I gotta head out again. Actually… you wanna come with me, later? Iris wants me to run an errand for her. I… might be gone for a while.”

It was his way of saying, _I’ll miss you, I hate being alone._ Gladiolus’s hand pulled away, and Ignis almost ached at the lost warmth, the comfort of the gesture. But he felt a lot lighter now that Gladiolus was back. Even despite his hatred of feeling like everyone who kept him company was merely babysitting, he knew that over time Gladiolus saw how hard he was fighting to recover himself. It was in the small things, the changes in his tone, that clued Ignis in.

“Alright, I’ll accompany you. I’m not needed here for a while, not to my knowledge. I’ve done everything I can.”

They ate breakfast, and Gladiolus did most of the talking. Not about anything in particular, but just things that came to his mind. Ignis would chime in every few sentences, or nod in agreement, between bites of egg and potato. If there was anything close to being comfortable, being _normal,_ this was it.


	3. Promnis - "Relieved" / "Faint" (for DistracteDream)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a moment of stress while they're having sex, Prompto uses their safe word. Ignis takes care of him, even as his own head is fighting every step of the way, making him worry far too much about everything...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For DistracteDream! Thank you for your prompt!
> 
> I don't write promnis very often so I hope this is a successful go! This scenario popped into my head as I was looking over the words and I figured I'd go with it! I'm pretty happy with how this turned out!
> 
> (And I'm still working on those last two prompts I promise! ; u ; I meant to have them done a lot sooner but life wasn't having it and I got WAY too thrown off)

“Are you alright?”

The question didn’t quite register for either of them as the words left Ignis’s mouth. Prompto, face down on the bed, let out a faint, muffled groan. Ignis was worried he had gone a bit too far. Prompto was enthusiastic in everything, he said he could handle it, but as Ignis eyed the pink lines of welts and blooming bruises across his back, a twinge of guilt bit at his heart.

This wasn’t the first time Prompto had to use their safe word, and if Ignis were to be completely honest with himself; he wondered if in the past Prompto bit back saying it even if he really needed to. Maybe because he was frightened, intimidated, or too lost in his own overwhelming urge for catharsis to speak. Or afraid of disappointing Ignis, and having to stop.

This weakness was something they both had in common. Prompto never knew when to speak up about his own pain, and Ignis feared going past a point of no return when letting his dominant mindset take command. It was a delicate dance between them, a dance that sometimes threatened to become a dangerous one the moment someone missed a step.

“Was I too harsh?” Ignis tried instead, and Prompto immediately shook his head.

“Nn… no. No! It felt good! Just… now it hurts,” admitted Prompto, turning his head to offer a nervous glance and a faint smile. “Good thing we’ve got a… y’know. A word for that.”

Ignis smiled and reached over for the bottle of lotion, uncapping it and squeezing a fair amount into his palm. After rubbing his hands together, he sat down on the edge of the bed and turned toward Prompto’s back, to gently settle his fingertips on a relatively unaffected area. “Indeed…”

Prompto winced, and Ignis cringed apologetically as his fingers trailed gently over the injured skin. Thankfully there was no blood, just angry red marks that would eventually heal over. Nothing too serious, but he certainly required a little bit of extra care.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” asked Ignis, his voice low, almost a whisper. His hands trembled as they rubbed against Prompto’s heated skin, and he paused when Prompto winced a second time.

“I’ll… I’ll be okay.”

“Prompto,” Ignis insisted, reverting back to his dominant tone for only a moment, “Tell me what’s wrong.” Softly, he added, “…please.”

“I just… got a little overwhelmed, is all. Something just… didn’t feel right anymore. It felt good, really! And then… and then it didn’t.” Prompto turned his head back against the sheets and murmured into them, “I hate my brain.”

“I should have controlled myself,” Ignis admitted, giving Prompto’s thigh a squeeze. No wince, this time. “If I hadn’t moved so quickly…”

“Don’t blame yourself, it’s me, it’s my fault.”

Ignis frowned. “No, it’s not. I’ll make it up to you - let me step out to prepare a hot shower?”

“Yeah… yeah, that sounds really nice…”

“Alright. I’ll be right back.”

Ignis planted a gentle kiss on the back of Prompto’s head before stepping into the bathroom. He practically ripped the shower curtain aside once he was alone, turning the shower on with such harshness he nearly twisted his wrist in the process. He couldn’t let Prompto see him like this. He should know better, to have better control over himself. But whenever they slept together, if Prompto begged, _‘harder, please, more…’_ moaned for him, _‘please, Ignis, please! I can take it,’_ it was as if Ignis was under a spell to oblige his lover. No matter how many times Prompto told Ignis to not worry, the moment he snapped out of his dominance post-sex, the guilt set in.

 _I’m sorry,_ Ignis wanted to say, over and over and over again until his voice numbed in his throat. _I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, why can’t I control myself?_ All these questions tumbled around in his head as the water warmed against his trembling fingertips. Behind Ignis, back in the bedroom, the strained sounds of Prompto adjusting himself on the bed filtered past the half-open bathroom door.

“Hold on, Prompto, don’t move yet - let me help you up,” Ignis insisted, hurrying back from the bathroom only to find Prompto bracing on his elbows, looking up at Ignis with a tired, sated smile.

“No, I got this,” Prompto insisted back, although it was obvious he was having trouble shifting his legs over the side of the bed because any light touch against his bruised hips sent waves of uncomfortable shivers through him. “...okay, maybe I need a little help.”

Carefully, Ignis wrapped his hands around Prompto’s arms - attentive to any flinch or wince from the smaller blond - and slowly pulled him to his feet. Prompto swayed a bit, but with Ignis’s arms around him to keep him standing, all he had to do was lean forward and wrap his arms around Ignis’s slender waist.

“Mm… you’re so warm,” Prompto muttered. Ignis shivered unintentionally as Prompto’s breath tickled against his chest.

“Yes, but the shower is even warmer. Come, let’s get you cleaned up before the hot water runs out?” Ignis asked, pulling Prompto toward the bathroom. “I have fresh towels, as well.”

Prompto smiled sleepily as Ignis helped him into the shower, letting out a content sigh as the warm water cascaded over his bruised back.

Against his better judgment, Ignis pulled his glasses off. He folded them and placed them on the sink’s edge so he could join Prompto in the shower, “I don’t want you to slip and fall,” he said, but what he really wanted to say was, _let me stay so I can help ease your pain._

“Mm. Okay. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna drop the bottle of conditioner on my foot like last time, that was an accident I swear,” muttered Prompto, although his words dissolved into quiet, blissful noises as Ignis ran his hands over the shorter blond’s head, smoothing his hair back and gently scrubbing his scalp as his fingers trailed through the soft, wet strands. “Ahh…”

“How are you feeling?” Ignis asked, trying to dull the anxiety in his tone.

“...Warm… and happy. A little sore… but the water helps a lot. And your hands… mm… your hands feel really nice. You’re really spoiling me, y’know?” Prompto mused as he wiped away stray trails of water to keep them from getting in his eyes. “But how are _you_ feeling?”

“I just…” Ignis began, lowering his hands, “I just want - I… no, it’s - ”

“What do you want, Ignis?” Prompto asked. He pulled Ignis closer under the warmth of the water and cradled the taller man’s face in his hands, tilting his head down and not giving him another opportunity for deflection. “You sound upset… you can tell me what’s wrong. You know you can. You’re the one who’s always telling me -” in his best Ignis impression, “ - ‘it’s not good to keep it in!’”

Then, a small smile. Ignis managed a smile, too, before Prompto added, “So… you should listen to your own words too, every now and then.”

It hurt, but Prompto’s point was a fair one to make. Ignis did need to listen to his own advice. He was so used to giving it without second thought… it never occurred to him that he ought to take his own words to heart, as well.

“I want… well, I _don’t_ want…” Ignis frowned and looked away, but Prompto’s hands on his face pressed slightly, so that Ignis was looking down at him again. There was a gentle warmth to his gaze. He knew Ignis hated talking about his own feelings, but any time he gave Ignis _that_ look, it just broke him down. The walls he’d built to protect himself, his own sense of clinical detachment, his “get the job done and forget all else” mindset… Prompto taught Ignis that it was okay to think about himself - that it didn’t ever mean he was selfish.

Ignis took a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. His words were barely audible past the rush of the shower water against their bodies. “I don’t want you to think I hurt you intentionally. I just… lost control. I should have been paying more attention to your body language and, I fear the fact that I just… snapped.”

“Well, that’s why we have the safe word, isn’t it? For times like this. You stopped as soon as I said it.”

“I suppose, but - ”

“No buts, I’m being serious,” Prompto said, desperation apparent, “listen to me. I’m not blaming you for anything. I promise. I’ll be okay! I’m feeling a lot better now. If you really didn’t care, if you really snapped - you wouldn’t be trying so hard to keep yourself together right now to take care of me. Would you?”

Another shot of truth, directly through Ignis’s aching heart. Since when did he become so transparent, so easily readable? Or was Prompto just that in tune with his mannerisms? _Why am I not the same?_ Ignis asked himself, as he gently nudged Prompto back under the water, subtly asking for distance. _Why is it that I can’t get out of my own head, like he can? Am I really that selfish, that I can’t see the damage I do to others? That I don’t have the same insight? It’s my job to think critically - I must be failing miserably, if my mind can’t come to any conclusions -_

“Ignis,” Prompto soothed, pushing himself up to kiss Ignis on the lips as he ran his hands down his boyfriend’s back, “Ignis, I know you didn’t mean it. It’s okay.”

“It’s not ‘okay,’ Prompto, I… what if… what if I hadn’t stopped?”

Prompto frowned. “But you _did_ stop. And that’s what’s important. Not all those angry little ‘what-if’s’ buzzing around in your head, right? You don’t give yourself enough credit. You gotta stop worrying over every bad thing that happens and just keep your head up through it.”

The sigh from Ignis that followed was defeated, deflated, and distressed.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. Let’s finish getting you cleaned up…” Ignis suggested, reaching over for a bottle of body wash. “And then we can get you back to bed. We do have quite a bit on our to-do list for tomorrow…”

“Oh! Oh, yeah. You’re gonna take me to the movies, right? And we’re gonna go to that sandwich place I saw right across the street from the farmers’ market too?”

Ignis smiled, and kissed Prompto’s forehead. He was thankful for the distraction, and the reminder that there would be plenty of good things to do and adventures to be had the next day. “That’s right. I’ll pick up some things for dinner as well while we’re out, since we’d be passing the market…”

“Sounds like the best day. I’m in!”

“When are you not?” Ignis asked, chuckling, before pulling Prompto close to kiss him quickly, just the briefest touch of their lips against each other. “Now, let’s finish washing up before we get distracted again, shall we?”

“Yeah! That - wait… oh, no - aw, not the hot water! It’s s-so c-cold… I’m gonna freeze!”

“Let’s hurry; we’ll be back to the bed and beneath the blankets as soon as we’ve dried off.”

“O-o-okay! Y-yeah!”


End file.
